HTPC Build Help Needed

ste-sim2x9

ste-sim2x9

ste-sim2x9

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19 Jan 2009
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I want to build a HTPC system but i've never built one before so don't know what i'll need. I've built pc's before but not for over couple of years due to having a asus G73 Gaming Laptop. I want the HTPC to play blu-ray from disk and rips from hard drive, mp3's and run emulators for mame, n64, gamecube, megadrive, snes and so on.

This is as far as i've got and its not far so any help would be great

Antec Fusion Remote HTPC Case - Black
LiteOn iHBS112-37 12x BluRay-RW / 16 x DVD±RW Drive
Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB
 
The game has changed a lot in the past few years for components and it certainly is a bit of a minefield at the moment.
I however have just gone through some rather extensive & obsessive research on the very subject so I can certainly lend my two cents.

1st of all you'll want to decide on the form factor - usually m-atx or m-itx motherboards, the ITX boards pack a fair bit of power these days so frankly it's not going to make much difference; only how small you want your build to be.

Given your applications you'll do fine with one of the new chipsets from either AMD or Intel. Both of them now include IGP (integrated graphics) which in both cases are fine for HDMI 1.4, Blu-Ray playback etc. I would ultimately suggest you go with AMD for two reasons -
1. Intel chips have a known issue with Blu-Ray 24p playback, which means a frame skips every so often as it's not able to perfectly match the framerate. I know I'd notice this, but it is actually quite minor, so might not be a deciding factor for you.
2. The AMD IGP might have a weaker processor, but the graphics accelerator is brilliant, having been benchmarked against most modern games like Colin Mcrae Dirt, Crysis etc with a none-too-shabby performance. They literally have treble the performance of the Intel HD graphics and are equivalent to Radeon 65xx series cards. This might not be massively important for emulators, although you'd probably notice on the gamecube emulator. It also opens up the avenue of having a budget living room gaming pc.

Additionally AMD have just bought out some new unlocked Llano chips, there are also some nice looking low-profile coolers coming out for them, if you're after a quiet machine with a bit of overclocking head-room.

I can give you some help on where to get components, as itx parts are such a niche market you really have to look around to source your parts (which inevitably means suggesting competitors) , so feel free to drop me a message if you need help!
 
I think the above post explains it very well!

Personally I'd go for something like this:
6deb679a.png


The rest is up to you, find a nice low-profile CPU cooler and any other bits you need and job done :)
 
Thanks for the help you guys, this will help a lot and i know what i can go for. What kind of cuu cooler & psu for a would you go for the Antec Fusion Remote HTPC Case.
 
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What kind of budget do you have? Its easy to spec high end stuff, but pointless if you don't want to spend that much.

That case is bigger than it looks in pictures.
Grab yourself a modular PSU so you don't have cable hell.
If you can budget it have a look at the Seasonic X-400. Zero Fans, Zero noise.

Low profile CPU coolers:
scythe shuriken rev.b quiet low profile cpu cooler

they do a big version as well, but I don't think OcUK stock it anymore.

Thermalright AXP-140

The case is just short of 140mm tall so you have so decent clearance and the higher end Llano chips do need some decent cooling as they aren't the coolest chips.
 
Hmmm, the fusion case is rather nice, but it limits you in terms of upgrade functionality as the GPU can only be half height if you decide to upgrade. I went for the OcUK media case, simply as it avoids this issue. It won't fit particularly long cards due to PSU placement, but most medium spec cards aren't that long anyway.

I'd also consider looking at the Sandy (soon to be Ivy) based chips, as that way you've got a bit more CPU grunt for general usage, or for any rips which don't play nicely with your onboard decoding, or for potential future usage. You mention emulation, and that usually likes a decent processor, especially if you're looking at N64, GC, Wii etc. As an example Dolphin (Wii/GC) recommends a decent dual-core or better CPU :)
Do you already have a drive to use for the OS or are you planning to run everything of a 5400RPM drive?

You mention budget about £500, so here's one suggestion I threw together, you've got a small SSD so the OS and boot times are extremely snappy, a large low RPM media drive, BD, a I3 processor so a decent amount of CPU power and a moderately decent passive graphics card to minimise sound, without ruling out gaming. Throw in a few 120mm case fans of your choice and bobs your uncle.

suggestion.jpg


For reference I've added an extra PSU despite one being included with the case, because it's a cheap, noisy thing, whereas Coolermaster have a good reputation when it comes to noise. The retail BD-RW should come with some BD playback software, usually Cyberlink PowerDVD9 or similar.

You could also be extra-luxurious and throw in something like this:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-006-XB&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=

Nice little keyboard/touchpad with media keys combo which should be perfect for a HTPC.
 
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Good point I was thinking of the micro-fusion :(
Still, I'd recommend putting the budget into the other parts more than the case within reason, at £140 pounds, it's pretty expensive!
 
Its so confusing nowadays with all these. I've decided i would also like the option to play some games like battlefield 3 so would i3 + cheap GPU or AMD Llano work.
 
The case is a Antec Fusion Remote Black HTPC Case.

what about this.


- CPU: AMD Llano A6-3500 2.40GHz (Socket FM1) APU Processor £64.99
- Motherboard: Asus F1A75-M PRO AMD A75 (Socket FM1) DDR3 Motherboard £71.99
- RAM: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit £37.99

Don't know about the vga card.
 
It was just an option while i was at it, The main reason on a better card is i've been setting up hyperspin which is a emulator front end. I will be playing emulators of mega drive, snes, mame, n64,gamecube,dreamcast,sega saturn,virtual pinball and maybe ps2. I've been setting this up using my asu G73JH laptop which has a ati hd 5870, just need somthing that is about the same card.
 
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